Stands for presses

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to stands for high pressure presses. Such presses are often of a type including a pair of yokes, separated by a pair of uprights and surrounded by a girdle built up from prestressed steel strip. In order to reduce the piece weight and increase the strength of such presses, it is now proposed to build up the yokes, and preferably also the uprights, from sections arranged in face to face relationship. Each section is similar in shape to its fellows and the sections may be bolted together in closely packed or spaced face to face relationship.

United States Patent Von Platen et al.

[54] STANDS FOR PRESSES [72] Inventors: Baltzar Carl Von Platen; Finn Lennart Jonsson; Sten Trolle, all of Ystad, Sweden [73] Assignee: Etablissement Radiator, Vaduz,

Liechtenstein [22] Filed: Sept. 15, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 72,358

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 16, 1969 Sweden ..l2691/69 [52] US. Cl. ..100/2l4 [51] Int. Cl. ..B30b l/00 [58] Field of Smrch 100/214; 72/455 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,064,558 11/1962 Von Platen ..l00/2l4 51 Aug. 29, 1972 Pennell et al 100/214 Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite Attorney-Steward & Steward [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to stands for high pressure presses. Such presses are often of a type including a pair of yokes, separated by a pair of uprights and surrounded by a girdle built up from prestressed steel strip. In order to reduce the piece weight and increase the strength of such presses, it is now proposed to build up the yokes, and preferably also the uprights, from sections arranged in face to face relationship. Each section is similar in shape to its fellows and the sections may be bolted together in closely packed or spaced face to face relationship.

11 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Pmmmum m2 memes SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR 3 44 r242 [41; Kw 6/275 [7/14 WMLWmL m ATTORNEYS.

STANDS FOR PRESSES The present invention relates to stands for high pressure presses, the stands of which have to absorb very high forces or stresses.

It is known, for instance from the Swedish Pat. specification No. 186,278 or German Pat. specification No. 1,055,958, to construct such stands from two substantially semi-cylindrical prismatic yokes, separated by two preferably orthogonal or parallellipipedal uprights. The yokes and uprights, which are made of high-quality steel, are held together by a girdle built up of prestressed steel strip. Stands of the type described here can absorb very high forces, and it is possible to calculate with adequate accuracy the forces acting upon and in the different parts of the stand.

It is, nevertheless, inevitable that such stands should have certain drawbacks, which come increasingly to the fore as the size of the stand increases.

The size of the conventional stand is limited by the piece weight of the steel parts that can be produced by steel manufacturers. The fit between the constituent parts, especially the yokes and uprights, is of such a close nature that the parts have to be machine finished. Owing to this the size of the stand is limited not only by the piece weight of the constituent parts, but also by the possibility of machining these parts.

Another essential drawback of the known stands is that if, for example, a crack occurs in a constituent part, as may happen with the high stresses involved, the crack tends to spread through the whole part. This leads to complete destruction, which involves great economic and material loss, as well as considerable physical danger to personnel and other equipment in the vicinity.

According to the present invention, these disadvantages are overcome in a surprisingly simple way, in that the yokes are built up from sections arranged in face to face relationship.

The uprights may also be built up from sections in face to face relationship.

Yokes and uprights built up from smaller sections eliminate the disadvantages presented by the conventional stands for high-power presses as detailed above.

Stands according to the invention can be made several times larger than has hitherto been possible, as the piece weight now limits only the size of the constituent sections of yokes and uprights, but not the total size of the assembled yokes and uprights.

It is, further, possible to attain a sufficient degree of precision in a simpler way, and the necessary machine finishing of the sections can be carried out in smaller machines. It will also be seen that a stand according to the invention is easier to erect, and smaller lifting and auxiliary apparatus can be used owing to the comparatively low piece weight of the constituent parts.

An essential advantage as compared with the conventional stands is that if E.G. a crack develops in a constituent part this part alone is damaged.

Finally, a decisive advantage is that the invention ensures considerably higher values of mechanical strength for the stand as a whole through the yokes and uprights being composed of sections which can be given higher mechanical strength than an undivided upright or an undivided yoke. In this respect it is known that the specific strength of steel material decreases with growing dimensions and conversely increases with declining dimensions.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show various embodiments of the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of one form of press stand;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line IIII of FIG. 1 illustrating a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3 to 5 are views similar to part of FIG. 2 showing alternative embodiments of the invention; Each of upright sections 2A is of sufficient cross-section thickness to permit it to support more than one of the yoke sections 1a.

FIG. 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of FIG. I;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing a modification; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are elevations similar to part of FIG. 1 showing modified forms of stand to which the invention may be applied.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a stand for a high-power press is constructed of two semi-cylindrical yokes l, separated by two orthogonal uprights 2. In each yoke a saddle 3 is provided along the outward curved surface of the yoke, and each upright is provided on the outside with a spacing plate 3a.

Round the outside of the stand formed by the yokes 1 and uprights 2 a girdle 4 is provided along the saddles 3 and spacing plates 3a. The girdle is composed of steel strips wound round the yokes and uprights and prestressed as described in the Swedish and German patent specifications mentioned above. The girdle is laterally bounded and supported by bracket plates 5, which are supported by pairs of posts 7. The posts 7 are in their turn secured in position, on the one hand, by screws 13, screwed into the saddles 3 and the spacing plates 30, and, on the other, by bolts 12 with nuts, which bolts interconnect the posts 7 of a pair.

Each yoke 1 is composed of sections la (see FIG. 2), formed as semicircular plates having two flat opposite faces in parallel planes. In a similar way each upright 2 is composed of sections 2a, formed as rectangular plates having at least two opposite plane sides parallel to each other (see FIG. 6). Each of upright sections 2a is of sufiicient thickness to permit it to support more than one of the yoke sections la.

The yoke sections 1a, which build up to the yoke 1, (see FIG. 2) are held together by a plurality of bolts 6 with corresponding nuts, the bolts being passed through aligned holes formed in the yoke sections la. A groove is formed in the inward flat face of the yokes l, and a corresponding groove is also formed in the adjacent face of the upright. The groove in the yoke combines with the corresponding groove in the upright to form a recess, which can receive a bolt 6a. Each bolt 6a is provided with nuts, and the guiding and assembling of the yoke and upright is effected by the co-operation between the bolts 6a, their nuts and the corresponding recesses. In addition, the bolts 6a and the corresponding nuts have the effect of holding the yokes and the uprights together.

A useful variant of a yoke is shown in FIG. 3. The yoke l is here composed of semicircular discs or plates 1b of comparatively small thickness so that at least three and as many as six are supported on each upright section 2a. The yoke is outwardly bounded by support plates 10. The discs 1b and the support plates are held together by joining means, which may consist, for instance, of bolts 6 with nuts. Guide grooves are provided in the same way as has been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Owing to the increase in mechanical strength, which can be obtained, as indicated above, by using sections of reduced dimensions, it is further possible according to this variant to increase the total mechanical strength of a compound yoke with an unchanged total volume.

Another advantageous variant is shown in FIG. 4. Here, the yoke is composed of semicircular discs la having two opposite sides in parallel planes, spaced from each other by spacing blocks 10 and spacing pieces 11, so as to form gaps 9 between the discs la when the nuts of the retaining bolts 6 have been tightened. The total thickness of two discs la and associated spacing block 10 and pieces 11 is equal to that of a single upright section 2a. An equalizing plate 8 is provided to absorb and distribute the forces which act from below upon the inner part of the yoke.

The described modification results in the advantage that a compound yoke, which has an adequate mechanical strength by itself, can be spread over a wide zone, to absorb the stresses, thereby avoiding the need for an overstrong yoke.

Another useful variant is shown in FIG. 5. In the same way as in the variant shown in FIG. 4, a yoke is composed, or built up, of semicircular discs 1d separated by gaps 9, which are produced and fixed by spacing blocks 10 and spacing pieces 11. The discs (plates) have two opposite plane faces, but as FIG. 5 shows these faces are not strictly parallel but converge in the direction of the girdle 4.

In FIG. 6 it is shown how each upright 2 can be assembled, or built up, from upright members or sections 2a of rectangular cross section.

It is possible within the scope of the invention to compose uprights of sections of square cross section, or generally of sections whose cross-sectional area is a parallel trapezium. Recourse may also be had to sections or upright members 2b of circular or substantially circular cross section. The latter variant is shown in FIG. 7. In each instance however, the thickness of the upright section is sufficient to support more than one yoke section. Here, too, guide grooves may be provided for the reception of bolts (not shown), similar to the bolts 6a of FIG. I.

In the hitherto illustrated and described forms of embodiment the yokes l have been composed of semicircular sections la, lb, 10, 1d. It may, however, be desirable from the point of view of mechanical strength to increase the height of the yokes in relation to their structural length or length between the points of support. This can be effected within the scope of the invention by forming the yokesin the way shown in FIG. 8. Here the yokes 1A are composed of semi-elliptical or substantially semi-elliptical prisms. In this form of embodiment, too, the yokes 1A may be constructed of sec tions, analogously to the variants which are shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, and it will be appreciated that the constituent sections of the yokes have a semi-elliptical or substantially semi-elliptical shape.

An increase in the height of the yokes relatively to their strpctural len can also be effected withi t e scope o the mven on by using the form of em 1- ment shown in FIG. 9. The part of the constituent sections or plates of the yoke 1B which lies above (and below respectively) a plane passing through the bolts 6a may here be semicircular, semi-elliptical or substantially semi-elliptical as described above. Moreover, every section or disc (plate) has a flap-shaped part 14 projecting under (and over respectively) the aforesaid plane.

Various other modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a stand for a press, the stand comprising a pair of opposed yokes, a pair of uprights interconnecting and supporting the yokes, and a girdle surrounding the yokes and the uprights: the improvement that the yokes and uprights each comprise a plurality of separate sections arranged in face to face relationship and that more than one of said yoke sections is supported by the same upright section.

2. A stand as claimed in claim 1, comprising joining means securing the sections together in face to face relationship.

3. A stand as claimed in claim 1, comprising opposed grooves formed in the yokes and uprights, the said grooves co-operating to complete recesses, and bolts passed through the said recesses.

4. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the yokes each comprise a pair of outer sections of relatively thick section and a plurality of inner sections of relatively thin cross section located between the outer sections.

5. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the sections are separated by gaps.

6. A stand as claimed in claim 5, in which the sections have parallel opposed faces.

7. A stand as claimed in claim 5, in which the sections are tapered.

8. A stand as claimed in claim 1, comprising saddles located between the girdle and the yokes, bracket plates laterally supporting the girdle, and posts secured to the saddle, the said posts providing lateral support for the bracket plates.

9. A stand as claimed in claim I, in which the yoke sections are in the form of semicircular discs.

10. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the uprights are built up from rectangular upright sections in face to face relationship.

11. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the uprights are built up from upright sections each of circular cross sections. 

1. In a stand for a press, the stand comprising a pair of opposed yokes, a pair of uprights interconnecting and supPorting the yokes, and a girdle surrounding the yokes and the uprights: the improvement that the yokes and uprights each comprise a plurality of separate sections arranged in face to face relationship and that more than one of said yoke sections is supported by the same upright section.
 2. A stand as claimed in claim 1, comprising joining means securing the sections together in face to face relationship.
 3. A stand as claimed in claim 1, comprising opposed grooves formed in the yokes and uprights, the said grooves co-operating to complete recesses, and bolts passed through the said recesses.
 4. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the yokes each comprise a pair of outer sections of relatively thick section and a plurality of inner sections of relatively thin cross section located between the outer sections.
 5. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the sections are separated by gaps.
 6. A stand as claimed in claim 5, in which the sections have parallel opposed faces.
 7. A stand as claimed in claim 5, in which the sections are tapered.
 8. A stand as claimed in claim 1, comprising saddles located between the girdle and the yokes, bracket plates laterally supporting the girdle, and posts secured to the saddle, the said posts providing lateral support for the bracket plates.
 9. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the yoke sections are in the form of semicircular discs.
 10. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the uprights are built up from rectangular upright sections in face to face relationship.
 11. A stand as claimed in claim 1, in which the uprights are built up from upright sections each of circular cross sections. 